1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a helical scan magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus and a magnetic tape used in the helical scan magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus employing a magnetic tape as a recording medium, such as a video tape recorder, an audio tape recorder or a data storage system for a computer, a helical scan system is used to raise the recording density to increase the recording capacity.
For this type of the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, a demand is raised for further increasing the recording density and the recording capacity. To this end, there is proposed in the helical scan magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus a technique of using a magneto-resistive effect magnetic head (MR head) as a playback magnetic head.
The MR head is a magnetic head employing a magneto-resistive effect element (MR element) in its magnetically sensitive portion. It has a sensitivity higher than with an inductive magnetic head and can develop a large playback output. Thus, by using the MR head as a playback magnetic head, a higher recording density and a higher recording capacity can be realized.
However, if, in the helical scan magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, the MR head is substituted for the inductive magnetic head for use as a playback magnetic head, a number of problems, that have not been experienced with the inductive magnetic head, are raised.
Specifically, the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus is lowered significantly in durability such that a practically tolerable durability cannot be obtained. Moreover, there may be raised such problems as failure to output reproduced signals (dropout) notwithstanding the high playback output from the MR head.
Thus, the helical scan magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, employing a MR head as a playback magnetic head, has much to be desired, such that a practically usable apparatus has not been realized.